Human Rights of Internally Displaced People
People forced to flee or leave their homes - particularly in situations of armed conflict - are generally subject to heightened vulnerability in a number of areas. Displaced persons suffer significantly higher rates of mortality than the general population. They also remain at high risk of physical attack, sexual assault and abduction, and frequently are deprived of adequate shelter, food and health services.
The overwhelming majority of internally displaced persons are women and children who are especially at risk of abuse of their basic rights. More often than refugees, the internally displaced tend to remain close to or become trapped in zones of conflict, caught in the cross-fire and at risk of being used as pawns, targets or human shields by the belligerents.
Like all human beings, internally displaced persons enjoy human rights that are articulated by international human rights instruments and customary law. In situations of armed conflict, moreover, they enjoy the same rights as other civilians to the various protections provided by international humanitarian law.
The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, created in 1998, restate and compile existing international human rights and humanitarian law germane to the internally displaced and also attempt to clarify gray areas and gaps in the various instruments with regard to situations of particular interest to the internally displaced.
The representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons is mandated to engage in dialogue and advocacy with Governments and other actors concerning the rights of IDPs, strengthen the international response to internal displacement, and mainstream human rights throughout the UN system. His activities include promoting and disseminating the rights articulated in the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, undertaking country visits, engaging Governments and other actors with regard to specific situations of internal displacement, sponsoring national and regional seminars, engaging UN agencies and departments, undertaking research on issues of IDPs’ human rights, and reporting annually to the Commission on Human Rights and General Assembly. The Representative also deals with a number of thematic issues.
In 2007, the Displacement and Protection Support Section (DPSS) was established to build on the work of OCHA's former inter-agency Internal Displacement Division in creating a more predictable, systematic and collaborative response to internal displacement. DPSS collaborates closely with the Policy Development and Studies Branch (PDSB) in supporting field offices to implement policy on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. DPSS focuses on three interrelated areas of work:
- supporting the mandate of the Emergency Relief Coordinator to strengthen the system-wide response to internal displacement;
- enhancing OCHA-wide capacity to support protection at field and headquarters levels in line with internal policy instruction; and
- augmenting inter-agency protection capacity through support to the Protection Cluster Working Group, the Camp Coordination and Management Cluster and the Early Recovery Cluster, as well as the management of the inter-agency ProCap project.